An Identity
by akmdreamer
Summary: Ginny is seen as just another Weasley, just Ron's little sister, and when her birthday is forgotten in light of Harry's hearing, she wants to forget about it, but Sirius and Harry won't let her. Sometimes, she just wishes she had an identity.


**DISCLAIMER: I am not J.K. Rowling, because, unlike her, I care about Ginny too much to conveniently forget her birthday in EVERY SINGLE ONE of the books. :( Not that I have anything against J.K.R. Just saying.  
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**A/N: Not my best work, and definitely could be better, but I hope you enjoy! R&R PLEASE!**

An uneasy silence had overtaken the basement kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, pressing the walls in closer and closer until Ginny Weasley thought she might just suffocate.

The mood in the little group was unusually subdued. Ron and Hermione had, for once, ceased their incessant bickering; Sirius had barely uttered a word all morning; Molly wasn't puttering around the kitchen, but perched on the edge of one of the creaky old chairs, her apron fisted in her hands; Fred and George were acting oddly serious; and Ginny sat on a chair next to Sirius, fussing with a loose thread on her shirt, a frown creasing her forehead and giving away the extent of her worries.

"It can't possibly be taking this long for him to be tried!" Ginny burst out quite suddenly. She stood and began pacing, coming to an abrupt halt in front of her mother. "Unless...you don't think he's being tried in front of a full court!" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"It's possible," Sirius replied darkly, speaking for the first time that morning, and Ginny, Fred, and George let out cries of outrage. Ginny dropped into her seat again, looking sick to her stomach.

A door banged open somewhere above them, breaking the tense atmosphere, and causing a few people to jump. Two pairs of feet pounded down the stairs, and the silhouette of Harry Potter stood in the doorway, grinning. "Cleared!" he said triumphantly.

Mrs. Weasley, who'd half-risen, fell back into her seat with a sob of relief. Ron and the twins thumped him on the back, dragging him into the middle of their little celebration. Hermione squealed and hugged him. Sirius wrung his hand after enveloping him in a fatherly hug. Ginny hugged him tightly, and he caught her up, lifting her off her feet in exuberance.

"I knew it!" Ron yelled, punching the air. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione, who was now holding a trembling hand over her eyes. "There was no case against you, none at all..."

"Everyone seems quite relieved, considering you all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling, a feeling of giddy relief washing over him once again.

He noticed, however, that through the rest of the day, Ginny seemed rather upset despite the festive joy that seemed to bubble over from most everyone.

That evening, Sirius climbed the stairway wearily to his bedroom, berating himself for ever feeling even slightly upset that his beloved godson would be returning to Hogwarts. Quiet sobbing emanated from the door to the Drawing Room, and he peaked inside, the Marauder curiosity overpowering his exhaustion.

Ginny was curled up on the couch, the soft light from the hallway seeping into the room, weaving through the strands of fiery hair, and eliciting a halo from the waves that fell to her shoulders and caressed her face.

"Ginny?" Sirius murmured, a great, swelling worry for the petite little redhead whom he'd come to care for as a daughter rising in his looked up at him.

"Oh, hi Sirius. I thought everyone had gone to bed?"

"Just was about to myself," he replied. "What's wrong?"

"Oh...it's nothing. It's stupid," she whispered, sniffling a little.

"Can't be," Sirius answered bracingly, then added, "Go on. I don't bite. Oh...well...I suppose I could, but...I won't."

Ginny gave a watery little chuckle, than began a little hesitantly, "Well, yesterday was my fourteenth birthday."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Wha -"

Ginny cut him off with an impatient wave. "It doesn't matter that much, It's just - I don't know - sometimes I feel like I don't have an identity, You know - I'm just "Ron's little sister" to Harry and Hermione, just another Weasley at school...the youngest and a girl, so I never get to do anything like playing Quidditch...nobody pays attention. Maybe, if I'd had someone to talk to in my first year, a real friend, I wouldn't have..." She trailed off bitterly, seeming almost unaware that Sirius was still listening. He didn't know what she was talking about, but it seemed to be a touchy subject, and contrary to popular belief he did have some small measure of tact, so he let it slide.

"But," she continued, "I just wish someone would notice me for who I am. It was one of the reasons I was drawn to Tom. He...let me have an identity. He made me think I was important for who I was."

Sirius remained quiet again, thoughtful. He didn't know who this "Tom" figure was, but he didn't like him either.

"Ginny, you remind me a lot of someone I used to know," he said quietly. "Someone with a fiery personality as vivid as her hair, just like yourself. Someone with a very strong sense of who she was, just like you. Soon enough, Hermione and Harry will see you as more. I think they already do. Just...be yourself," Sirius concluded, standing and patting the young girl on the shoulder.

It was eerily similar to some advice Hermione had given her earlier in the year, with regards to a certain Harry James Potter.

Though encouraged by Sirius' fatherly words, Ginny still felt a twinge of sadness as she flopped back on her bed, tugging at the sheets.

_I'll think about it tomorrow..._

It was the following day, as everyone pounded down the stairs in the usual wild stampede to get to breakfast, that Ginny felt a hand on her arm and turned to find herself nose-to-nose with Harry.

"Oh, er.…Hi," she stammered, feeling the familiar heat of her blush spill onto her cheeks.

"Can I have a quick word?" he queried hesitantly.

"Sure Harry," she replied, surprised.

"Erm...I suppose I just wanted to give you this, and, er...I'm sorry that I missed, you know, the party or whatever went on yesterday while I was at my hearing, as I assume there was some sort of celebration...So...ah...Happy birthday."

Ginny gazed up at him uncomprehendingly for the better part of his explanation, then she gave him a big, glowing, genuine smile.

"Oh, Harry, you didn't have to get me anything! Actually...there wasn't a party at all, so you didn't miss anything, and nobody else said anything about it, I suppose they forgot, what with the hearing and all, it doesn't really matter..." she trailed off, feeling the blush return intensified when she realized she was rambling.

"No…don't worry...I wanted to," Harry replied, looking slightly bemused. He was also, however, baffled that a family like the Weasleys had forgotten a birthday.

He handed her a small package that was wrapped in a slightly sloppy manner, and she smiled shyly up at him.

They sat down cross-legged on the floor while Ginny opened the gift, tearing off the paper quite carefully.

The small velvet box inside surprised Ginny slightly. _Jewelry?_

Inside was a thin golden chain with a tiny teardrop of a ruby hanging off of it delicately.

"Oooh, Harry!" she breathed. "I can't take this...It must have cost an awful lot, and...I mean...I'm just Ron's little sister..." she let the sentence hang a little sadly.

"But Ginny, you're not! You've really been one of my best friends. And really, I didn't spent anything at all. It was...Sirius had some of my mother's jewelry hanging around that he gave to me a few weeks ago. And don't say you can't take it," he said quickly, forestalling her stubbornly when she seemed about to protest, "I want you to have it."

Ginny swallowed her tears and nodded. "Thank you, Harry. It truly is beautiful, and I'll be honored to wear it."

Harry grinned, and took it from her gently, fumbling with the clasp a bit before draping it around her neck.

It was as the two made their leisure way downstairs for breakfast that the argument between Sirius and Molly began.

"He's just a _boy_, Sirius! He can't fight this war!"

"He's going to have to, Molly!" Sirius snapped.

"I don't want to take away his childhood!"

"He never had a childhood," Sirius replied, his tone stony, a sad, haunted look appearing in his eyes. "Its best he know. I'm his godfather, Molly," he added when she began to protest.

"And a fine one you're being," Molly snipped harshly, then immediately regretted it, seeing the haunted look return.

"Yes," Sirius replied just as Harry and Ginny entered, "coming from the woman who forgets her daughter's birthday."

Mrs. Weasley gasped and whirled around to face Ginny, her eyes wide.

But Sirius wasn't done: "Perhaps she'd appreciate an identity."

**A/N: So whaddaya think? ;) I might continue it in a bit if people like it enough, so review! If I _do _continue it, it will probably be AU, and it'll most likely go until the end of the seventh book. I'm not sure, though. **

**~PhoenixFlameGinny67**


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